Archive for February, 2013

The theme for this week’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap is Spaghetti Squash. Last fall, when I first tried the Paleo Diet, I found that I really enjoyed eating Spaghetti Squash. I started using it as a substitute for rice and gluten-free pasta. It gave me the carbs I needed for energy during the day, but not the grains my body could do without. Because it makes more than my family can eat in one dinner, I started eating leftovers for lunch, too. I would top it with leftover Mexican chicken and guacamole, leftover vegetables topped with salad dressing, or even scrambled eggs with salsa and diced avocado.

It’s simple and easy to prepare. You can cook it in the oven, the microwave, or even in a slow-cooker like Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

Here’s how I like to cook it: Microwave the whole squash for 2 minutes to soften the flesh just enough for cutting in half lengthwise. Once cut, scrape out and remove the seeds from the middle. (I found that the tools I bought for scraping the the inside of a jack-o-lantern works really well for any squash, so it now resides in my kitchen drawer.) Next, place the two halves in a baking dish with the cut side down and pour in about 2 cups water. Now, place the dish into an oven preheated to 375°. After baking for about 40 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, being careful not to splash any of the hot water on you. Flip the squash over so the cut side is up. You may want to let it cool for a few minutes. Then, using a fork, simply scrape the flesh away from the skin.

You can add a couple tablespoons of butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, or any preferred spices and/or flavors. Add vegetables, salad dressing, marinara, etc. It’s so versatile, you can make it work with just about any meal.

Cut in half. Bake in the oven @375 degrees for 40 min.

Once cooked, scrape the flesh away from the skin.

Add any variety of vegetables, seasonings, and/or sauces.

Check out the Gluten-Free Menu Swap roundup below for more gluten-free menus, recipe links, and ideas for preparing spaghetti squash.

Mom’s Plans: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Menu for the family and a Paleo Rotation Diet for Melissa
Melissa continues to struggle with a very restrictive diet for herself while preparing gluten-free, dairy-free meals for her family. This week, her family gets to enjoy Chicken Tortilla Soup, Beef and Cabbage Soup, Homemade Meatloaf with Fries, Roasted Vegetable Soup, Sloppy Joes, and Pasta with White Bean Soup. Melissa’s meals this week will be made from bison, pork, beef, pear, apple, bok choy, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, and cauliflower. Check out her full menu for links to the many recipes she’ll be using this week.

Awkward Girl Gets Fit: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Menu
Samantha has a great menu this week, but has zucchini on her menu instead of spaghetti squash. She’ll be serving it with Grilled Burgers and Guacamole. She’s also planning for Grilled Steaks, Crockpot Chicken, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Chicken Pizza, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Stop by her site if you have paleo pizza crust recommendations for her.

The Peaceful Mom: Simple Gluten-Free Menu
Kimberlee always includes a plan for breakfast and lunches with her weekly meal plans. This week it includes Ham and Egg Cups and Apple Sandwiches. For dinner this week, her family will be eating Beef and Veggie Soup, Crock Pot Chili, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Chicken Enchiladas, and Individual Lasagna Bake. Oh, she also has a recipe for Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce that would be great served over spaghetti squash…just saying. Check out her full menu and recipe links at The Peaceful Mom.

Extraordinary Life: Gluten-Free, Paleo Menu
I know I’ve seen Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Meat Sauce on Lisa’s past menus. But not this week. This week, she’ll be making Lettuce Wrap Tacos, Pork Chops with Sherry Mustard Sauce, Rosemary Chicken, Country-fried Round Steak, and Pizza with a coconut-flour crust. You’ll find recipe links to all of them on her blog today, so stop by and check them all out.

Check back later to see who else is sharing their gluten-free menus this week.

The Gluten-Free Menu Swap is being hosted by Angela at Angela’s Kitchen this week. The theme is Ginger. And when you see how many recipes Angela has that use ginger, you will understand that ginger is one of Angela’s favorite flavors! I can personally say that her recipe for Ginger Snaps got rave reviews at my house, and from friends and family, too.

I don’t often buy ginger root for my recipes. Instead, I usually use ground ginger in my meals. I have only a few recipes to share that use ground ginger:

There is a lot going on this week: Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day), Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and Valentine’s Day. I know many of you may be celebrating one or more of those occasions, so the theme for this week’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap is Cakes!

Mom’s Plans: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Menu Plan
Melissa’s family has been trying out the gluten-free diet for several weeks now, and has noticed some big changes in her kids’ behavior (or at least one of her kids). They continue with a gluten-free, dairy-free diet this week. They will be eating Cabbage and Beef Soup, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Swiss Chard with Penne Pasta, Baked Potato Soup, Flounder, and Meatloaf. Melissa has been on an even more restricted diet, and this week is removing histamine-rich foods from her diet as well.

Beyond Rice and Tofu: Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals
Renee got hit by the flu last week, so she’s using some of her planned meals from last week for this week’s menu. Curried Red Lentil Soup and Roasted Tofu with Brussels Sprouts are carried over from last week. The rest of her meals this week include Corn Chowder in Winter, Black Bean Chili with corn tortillas, Tamales with Kale Salad, and Spaghetti Salad.

Extraordinary Life: Gluten-Free and mostly Paleo Menu
Lisa is back to joining us with menu planning this week. Last year, she and her husband embarked on a paleo diet, in addition to their gluten-free restrictions. This week, I’m calling her menu “mostly paleo,” because she is going to enjoy Muffuletta Sandwiches and King Cake for Mardi Gras. The rest of her menu includes Hungarian Pot Roast, Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce, Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers, and Fried Pork Chops with a Mustard Cream Sauce.

Thanks to everyone for joining in the menu swap this week. Join us again next week at Angela’s Kitchen for the roundup.

Beef is the theme for this week’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap. I’m often trying to find a theme for the menu swap that we haven’t chosen before. And this seems to be the first time for beef. Other than the few recipes I’ve linked in our menu below, you may be interested in Beef Kabobs and my review of Gluten-Free Gobsmacked’s recipe for Cheese Bread, which I have used for hamburger buns.

I also found some informative links you may find interesting if you eat beef:

Cuts of Beef - explained with suggested methods of cooking and recipes

Hard to believe January is over. I missed having my monthly menu plan last month to help me get my Mondays started. So, I’m back to it this month. I will update it, as necessary, with my weekly menu plans posted on Mondays.

This month’s themes for the Weekly Gluten-Free Menu Swap will be as follows: